"Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life"

TimothyT

I recieved a letter from my JW friend a few days ago who encouraged me to return to the organisation. She quoted the following scripture, and although I think its a great one, the JW view of it is twisted.

“Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life" (John 6:68)

It is clear as crystal to me! JESUS has sayings of everlasting life! So why do JW's put so much faith in an organisation who reiterate Jesus sayings? Why not just follow Jesus? Arnt we warned in the bible not to put our trust in men?

Besides this, they even have the audactiy to make the follow claims:

"Where could we turn if we would leave God’s organization today? There is nowhere else! (John 6:66-69) This is the one organization he is using" (WT 75, 9/1, p.531)

John 6:68 says nothing about an organisation! Does it not say that Jesus is the one with sayings of everlasting life? Why cant the JW's see this?

"The Lord Jesus Christ still has those “sayings,” and he is dispensing them through the one “faithful and discreet slave” organization that he today uses on earth." (WT 81, 12/1, p.31)

Thats news to me! I was always under the impression that the instruction man needed, including the sayings from Jesus Christ, where located in the bible and were enough (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

"The faithful and discreet slave class has been admonishing us to “stay awake and keep our senses.” (1 Thess. 5:6)" (WT 08, 6/15, p.21)

I wasnt aware that they wrote Thessalonians. Was it not Paul who admonished Christians to stay awake and keep their senses?

"Jehovah’s spirit and blessings are linked to the one association of brothers that God is using. Even if someone in the congregation upsets us, where else can we turn? Nowhere else can we hear the sayings of everlasting life.—John 6:68." (WT 10, 9/15, p.18)

Again, the scripture doesnt say that we have to be part of an association to hear sayings of everlasting life, it says that they come from Jesus!

The above statements are subtle ways that demonstrate to me how the organisation has usurped Jesus responsibility as saviour. They should tread very carefuly!

What do you think?

Timmy x

00DAD

Timmy, you hit the nail on the head. This is a subtle, but powerful bit of mind-control the way the GB conflates Jehovah & Jesus with the WTBTS. Virtually every article directed at the Rank & File JWs will have one or more statements asserting that they are "God's organization". Once they get that in your mind, it's easy to then draw the conclusion that there is no salvation apart from the WTBTS because they are "God's visible organization" here on earth.

The scriptures and WT references you cited are just a very few examples of how the GB hammers this point home again and again. It takes some good critical-thinkning skills and an awareness of the art of manipulation to see this. Most JWs have neither of these things, and frankly they want to believe. After all, wouldn't it be nice if it were true. But sadly it is not true, not even close.

AwareBeing

Listening to Jesus, and learning from his apostles; are much more accurate than following any religion.

True worship is not confined to a nation, priesthood, or religious order. Christ ended all of that.

The disciples traveled to home congregations, encouraged true believers, and wrote letters.

These were independent of Jerusalem and Rome, and responsible for their own faith and practices.

Even evangelists like Paul weren't subject to a pope figure (Peter), or a GB, they just gave suggestions.

Jesus is where two or three pray; that' "Home Worship", not the KH or any other part of Babylon the Great!

http://revelatoryawakening.wordpress.com/conductin-meetings-page-3/

Broken Promises

Tim,

I think you should send what you wrote here, back to her. She might ignore it, or it might make her think.

I liked your reasoning, anyway!

Jackals

Tim and I were talking about this last night. When reading the book of John it just screams out to me that all you need is Faith in God, to follow Jesus' teachings and LOVE EACH OTHER! It's pure. it's simple and it's all we need. No other organisations involved..beware false prophets!!

Jack x

tec

You are absolutely right. All I see when I read what they write about themselves, is a group of men claiming the seat of Christ. Come to 'us' for life. We are to go to Christ for life, because He IS the life, the truth, the way.

Listen to Him, even now, in spirit. Because the Holy Spirit teaches and leads us into all truth - as even the bible says.

all you need is Faith in God, to follow Jesus' teachings and LOVE EACH OTHER!

John 14:23 Jesus replied, "if anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

Peace,

Tammy

TimothyT

Yep... John 14:6!

Jesus is the way the truth an the life. I believe that anyone sitting on his seat, or anyone who claims that salvation is through themselves, is usurping his position, which i believe is tantamount to sinning against the holy spirit - Going against Gods arrangment! A dangerous position to be in!

Timmy xxx

Robert7

What a loaded scripture and interpretation. There are so many assumptions in the JW interpretation of this quote:

- It assumes that JW's are the only faith that have believe in an everlasting life

- It assumes that JW's are that one chosen faith, because by default there is no where else to go

- It assumes that there is actually somewhere to go in the first place, or maybe better put, it assumes there actually is a 'truth' out there, from a religion standpoint.

Obviously this scripture alone can make it very hard for many leaving the JW faith, especially those like myself who no longer believe in a creator, knowing that there is no other faith to go to. My take is that we truly don't know what happens to us when we die, and unless proven otherwise I believe we're just asleep, just like we were before we were born. It's ok to not have all the answers, and it's ok to question everything and research and learn. Science does a good job of this. Religion not so much.

TimothyT

It's ok to not have all the answers, and it's ok to question everything and research and learn.

Well said!

"Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life"

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